2017 Masters Preview

2017 Masters Preview

The 2017 Masters will be the 81st edition of this prestigious tournament, and takes place from April 6-April 9 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA. Last year Danny Willett was the surprise winner at 125:1 odds to win the tournament after Jordan Spieth’s historic collapse, and below shows the most recent winners and their pre-tournament odds around the market:

Year

Golfer

Pre-Tournament
Consensus Odds

2016

Danny Willett

+12500

2015

Jordan Spieth

+980

2014

Bubba Watson

+2000

2013

Adam Scott

+2800

2012

Bubba Watson

+3550

2011

Charl Schwartzel

+8000

2010

Phil Mickelson

+650

The table below shows the odds to win the 2017 Masters from 5Dimes and Bovada:

Golfer

April 5, 2017
(5Dimes)

Apr 3, 2017
(5Dimes)

Jan 9, 2017
(5Dimes)

Aug 1, 2016
(Bovada)

Jordan Spieth

+635

+725

+800

+800

Rory McIlroy

+650

+690

+800

+800

Dustin Johnson

+755

+560

+1000

+1200

Jason Day

+1535

+1955

+800

+800

Rickie Fowler

+1605

+1755

+3000

+2200

Hideki Matsuyama

+1605

+1855

+1200

+3300

Justin Rose

+2005

+2335

+2500

+2500

Jon Rahm

+2235

+2235

N/A

N/A

Phil Mickelson

+2470

+2470

+3000

+2500

Henrik Stenson

+2470

+3005

+2500

+2800

Justin Thomas

+3005

+3405

+5000

+12500

Adam Scott

+3130

+3150

+2000

+2000

Paul Casey

+4000

+3700

+5000

+5000

Sergio Garcia

+4000

+4500

+6600

+6000

Louis Oosthuizen

+4500

+5500

+5000

+4000

Brandt Snedeker

+4500

+5500

+5000

+5000

Bubba Watson

+4800

+4500

+2000

+1600

Daniel Berger

+5000

+7500

+10000

+12500

Marc Leishman

+5500

+6000

+10000

+8000

Tyrrell Hatton

+7000

+6000

N/A

N/A

Brooks Koepka

+7000

+8000

+6000

+6600

Russell Henley

+7000

+9000

N/A

+20000

Lee Westwood

+7000

+10000

+10000

+10000

Adam Hadwin

+8000

+8000

N/A

N/A

Bill Haas

+8500

+10000

+12500

+12500

Thomas Pieters

+9000

+8500

+6600

N/A

Matthew Fitzpatrick

+9000

+9000

+8000

+10000

Patrick Reed

+9000

+11000

+3300

+5000

Kevin Kisner

+9000

+12500

+15000

+15000

Charl Schwartzel

+10000

+9000

+6000

+4000

Tommy Fleetwood

+12000

+8000

N/A

N/A

Alex Noren

+13500

+9000

+7000

N/A

J.B. Holmes

+11000

+10000

+10000

+10000

Matt Kuchar

+11000

+10000

+6600

+6000

Gary Woodland

+11000

+14000

+8000

N/A

Ryan Moore

+12000

+19500

N/A

+15000

Zach Johnson

+12500

+13500

+8000

+6600

Charley Hoffman

+12500

+14000

+15000

+15000

Emiliano Grillo

+12500

+14000

+12500

N/A

Shane Lowry

+12500

+16500

+12500

+12500

Jimmy Walker

+14000

+11500

+6600

+7500

Martin Kaymer

+14000

+19000

+15000

+17500

Brendan Steele

+16000

+25000

N/A

N/A

Rafa Cabrera-Bello

+16500

+17500

+12500

+12500

Danny Willett

+17000

+18500

+6000

+2800

Bernd Wiesberger

+17500

+17500

N/A

N/A

Branden Grace

+17500

+6600

+6600

+6600

Pat Perez

+17500

+30000

N/A

N/A

Jason Dufner

+19000

+18500

+15000

+15000

Francesco Molinari

+19000

+25000

N/A

N/A

Soren Kjeldsen

+20000

+18500

+25000

N/A

Ross Fisher

+20000

+20000

N/A

N/A

Angel Cabrera

+20000

+22500

N/A

+15000

Jim Furyk

+20000

+32500

+10000

+8000

Webb Simpson

+20000

+50000

N/A

N/A

Hudson Swafford

+22000

+20000

N/A

N/A

Jhonattan Vegas

+26500

+30000

N/A

N/A

Kevin Na

+28500

+25000

+15000

N/A

Kevin Chappell

+28500

+40000

N/A

N/A

Byeong-Hun An

+30000

+21500

+12500

N/A

Chris Wood

+30000

+45000

N/A

N/A

Scott Piercy

+32000

+40000

N/A

N/A

Andy Sullivan

+32500

+30000

+15000

+15000

Russell Knox

+35000

+33500

N/A

N/A

Hideto Tanihara

+35000

+44000

N/A

N/A

Steve Stricker

+42500

+50000

N/A

N/A

Fred Couples

+45000

+60000

N/A

+50000

Jeung-Hun Wang

+47500

+42500

N/A

N/A

All Others Listed At

+60000 or above

+60000 or above

N/A

N/A

Bernard Langer

+70000

+50000

N/A

+40000

Si-Woo Kim

+100000

+50000

N/A

N/A

Ernie Els

+100000

+90000

N/A

+25000

Jamie Donaldson

N/A

N/A

N/A

+15000

Bryson DeChambeau

N/A

N/A

+12000

+8000

Luke Donald

N/A

N/A

N/A

+15000

Kiradech Aphibarnrat

N/A

N/A

+22500

N/A

Smylie Kaufman

N/A

N/A

+15000

+8000

Anirban Lahiri

N/A

N/A

+25000

N/A

Keegan Bradley

N/A

N/A

N/A

+25000

Danny Lee

N/A

N/A

+15000

N/A

Tiger Woods

N/A

N/A

+2200

+6600

Graeme McDowell

N/A

N/A

N/A

+25000

Billy Horschel

N/A

N/A

N/A

+17500

Ian Poulter

N/A

N/A

+15000

+15000

A lot has changed over the last few months including an incredible surge by Dustin Johnson. He’s now the clear +560 favorite followed by Rory (+690) and Spieth (+725). Jason Day has run into some issues and moved out to +1955, while other players like Jon Rahm (+2000) and Justin Thomas (+3405) have improved their odds mightily since last season.

Last year’s Masters winner Danny Willett was listed at just 28:1 at Bovada back in August but moved to 60:1 in January. He’s now at 185:1 at 5Dimes so oddsmakers and bettors don’t like his chances of repeating whatsoever. For the casual golf fans, Tiger Woods is still injured and will not participate in the 2017 Masters. This is unfortunate for sportsbooks since public bettors love taking Tiger, but now those bets have been refunded.

At Westgate, Johnson is receiving the most money wagered to win, followed by Spieth and McIlroy. The top 3 are far ahead of anyone else, but Rose and Matsuyama round out the top 5 players wagered on. At William Hill US, it’s the same top 3 but in a different order: Spieth, Johnson, then McIlroy.

Are there any golfers offering value to win the Masters this week? Some of the staff at Sports Insights lend their thoughts:

Dan M: Louis Oosthuizen +5500

My pick for the Masters this year is Louis Oosthuizen at +5500. I wanted to pick a player who has been playing pretty well lately, and has played well at the Masters before. Oosthuizen has made the cut in all of his starts over the last 6+ months, and has finished in the top 25 of the Masters in the last 3 years. There was also a 2nd-place playoff finish in 2012 at Augusta, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s won a major tournament before (The Open 2010). There’s a lot to like, a good price, and I think a bet on the Top 10 at +550 is also worth it.

Biff T: Lee Westwood +10000

At 43 years old, Lee Westwood is past his prime. However, this bloke loves playing at Augusta. Since 2010, he has five top 10 finishes and one 11th place finish at the Masters. Last year, he finished in a tie for second with Jordan Spieth. Given Westwood’s consistency in this tournament, 100/1 odds provide great value for a guy who has come so close to a green jacket so many times. Bet Lee Westwood at +10000 and you’ll be seeing green, too (see what I did there?).

Travis: Sergio Garcia +4000

Sergio’s best finish at Augusta is 4th but that was way back in 2004. The last five years, he has had some mixed results with three Top-20 finishes along with a missed cut and a 34th place finish last year. While driving accuracy is not a predictor of success at the Masters, driving distance usually plays a big role and Sergio Garcia currently leads the tour in strokes gained off the tee, just in front of tournament favorite Dustin Johnson. The Spaniard will have to get hot with the putter which is usually his downfall, but if he can get some putts to fall then he should be in contention on Sunday.

PJ: Jordan Spieth (-121) over Rickie Fowler

With two second-place ties and a win in only three starts already on his Masters record, it’s no secret that August National sets up very well for Jordan Spieth. On the other hand, despite only one Top 10 finish in six Masters starts and a missed cut in 2016 that included a first round 80, Ricky Fowler has become a trendy pick to win the 2017 Masters.

To his credit, Fowler has played well so far this season, posting four Top 10 finishes and one win (The Honda Classic) in seven starts. With that said, Spieth is off to a very good start as well with four Top 10’s of his own, including a win at Pebble Beach. While Fowler certainly brings momentum into the week, Spieth’s current form and course history make him a very nice value at -121 to finish ahead of Rickie.

There are also plenty of prop bets available around the market and here are some notable ones via 5Dimes and BetOnline:

Will any player shoot 62 or lower in a round?Yes +1200, No -2500

What will be the lowest round of the tournament?Over 65.5 (+130), Under 65.5 (-160)

What will be the winning 72-hole score for the tournament?Over 280.5 (+110), Under 280.5 (-140)

Who will win the Masters?Johnson/Spieth/McIlroy +200, Field -260

What will the nationality of the winner be?USA -140, Europe +280, Field +350

Will there be a hole-in-one?Yes -150, No +120

Will there be an albatross? (double eagle or -3 on one hole)Yes +1600, No -4000

Will any player win wire-to-wire? (lead or share lead after every round)Yes +1000, No -2000